Backstrokes

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) is the current party in power led by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey is a secular nation. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, as a I have mentioned before founded this country with staunch secular principles, but with recent events it is evident that things are changing.
Another fundamental in the make up of the Republic of Turkey is that if the government expresses too much power and magnetizes towards a theocratic government, then it is the job of the military to overthrow the party.

Well.
The AKP has some unsubtle Islamic leaning tendencies.

- There was a headscarf ban in public spaces, including schools and universities (public and private), courts of law, government offices and other official institutions, which was implemented in 1984. This ban was lifted by the AKP in 2008 though I think it was later annulled they are still informally permitted. Symbolically, Erdogan's wife and two daughters wear the headveil.

- In September of 2010, a constitutional amendment was passed that gave the ability of civilian courts to convict members of the military. This was an obvious direct hit to Ergenekon (an alleged clandestine, Kemalist ultra-nationalist organization in Turkey with possible ties to members of the country's military and security forces).

AKP is a very power party. They won this summer's elections with a landslide victory. They have the support of many of the lower class, uneducated, village people because they follow up on their monetary promises.


A friend was telling me about his friend's father's business located on the outskirts of the capital city of Ankara. This business has a few thousand blue collar workers and AK Party members said to the father (boss) that if that district doesn't vote for them then that company will be done for. Shut down. Goodbye. So this man (who would never vote for AKP) ended up giving his vote to the party and made sure his workers did the same. That's the way it works.


The state of Turkey is now polarized in women who veil and those who don't. I must admit I judge someone harshly who chooses to veil because in all honesty, a woman who wears a headveil is presenting a political identity, not spiritual obedience.

A couple days ago, a four top military commanders resigned.
The defenders of secularism - quit.
Papers say they this in protest to the trials against members of the military that have alleged ties with Ergenekon.

My thoughts: I am worried about the future of Turkey. The exaggerating pessimist in me likens 2011 Turkey to 1979 Iran.


http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/insidestory/2011/07/201173194112483174.html

Ramazan

The Islamic month of fasting is approaching and I have to admit I am looking forward to it.

I've never experienced Ramazan in a Muslim country before so it will be interesting to see how the people change their lifestyles.

People who choose to fast cut off all food and even water when the sun is up(Ramazan is a big topic to explain but I wont even try so I can actually make my point).

Though I won't take part in the fasting/praying/spiritual experience of Ramazan I think it will be a good reminder for me to slow down.

I must admit that I've been raging a little too much lately and often find myself biting my fist out of embarrassment in the mornings as my memory resurfaces.

I need to adapt and shed my American state school girl (leatherneck). This is İstanbul, Türkiye not Macomb, Illinois.

And really, that's what Ramazan is about; it's a cleansing process.

I'm just half-assing it.

Speak

Turkish is a very fun language.

It is can be stretched, pulled, pushed, twisted, and liquidated.

Everything can turn funny.

Anything goes.

I wish I had the words to give a better understanding but I am left speechless.

What Said said.

The other night I was out looking at posters and postcards for sale and kept coming across odalisques... This is where my mind went.

Wiki insert: An odalisque (Turkish: Odalık) was a female slave in an Ottoman seraglio. She was an assistant or apprentice to the concubines and wives, and she might rise in status to become one of them. Most odalisques were part of the Imperial Harem, that is, the household of the sultan.

Orientalism is an concept that fascinated me ever since I first saw Ingres's Le Grand Odalisque in my art history class.



Orientalsim is how the West interprets the East.. So naturally, accuracy is minimal.

Istanbul.
The city that bridges the East to the West - How cliche of me.
But there is truth to it. Besides just literally, with two Bridges that start in one continent and end on another.

Side note: I never will cease to be fascinated that ferry boats here are used as just another form of public transportation. Example: My friend from work, Ekin (like many other Istanbulites) lives in Asia but commutes to Europe on a daily basis. All very doable.

Istanbul. Ex-residence for sultans and concubines.

Istanbul. Desperate to enter the EU.


One of the strange things the confusion of Turkish society my mother once explained to me:
When I would go to the deli in Etiler (a posh district of Istanbul) I would have to ask specifically for the the non-ham products (being a Muzzie and all). And the man working would give me a look, like he was looking down on me. Though he would never eat any ham himself (being a Muzzie and all), he would be looking at me like I was of lower class. It was okay for him to accept his Muslim-ness but for an upper-class westernized woman, it wasn't. The elite try so hard to occidentalize that they end up denying their religion, their language, and their traditions. Our society is turning into something very strange.


Then there are places like the Grand Bazaar which self-orientalize.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bazaar,_Istanbul
A tourist trap.
The only people to actually go to the Grand Bazaar (other than the people who work there) are tourists. It's just where Westerners go to look at what they have imagined Turkey to be for so long. Spices and belly dancing costumes.
The Grand Bazaar seems to embrace the heritage of the east, perhaps solely for attracting some $ or €.

Push west. Pull east.

A confused people.

A Secular Deity?

Today I was sitting at a cafe forcing myself to read some Pamuk one last time, but I finally decided to give up.

As my idle mind wondered to thoughts and my eyes to the streets, I saw a familiar face.

I called out and he took a seat. This was Jared a.k.a. J-Date (he recently decided to only date Jewish girls).

Jared is a new acquaintance of mine. He is a graduate student at Columbia University and is spending his summer in Istanbul. His field of focus is on the sociological interrelationship of the nation and religion in Turkey.

Turkey is a secular Muslim republic founded by the national hero, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.


After the Ottoman Empire fell, the Turkish Republic rose with radical changes implemented by Ataturk. The ideology of Kemalism is the foundation that this country was built on. One of the vital fundamentals of Kemalism is secularism.

Ah.. now we begin.

Ataturk was a staunch secularist. He abolished The Caliphate and sought to 'modernize' and 'Europeonize' the new found nation.

Kemalism supported the equality of all religions by keeping them equally distant from state affairs.

Now if you don't know what Mustafa Kemal Ataturk looks like, you will find out the first second you step on this land. His image is EVERYWHERE. And by everywhere, I mean it.

In every office of every department of every&all (non)official buildings.

There is a statue of him in every town or city. His image appears on the currency. Even on the walls of streets throughout Istanbul, there are pictures of his days in power hanging.

Hero.

To deny or diss him is a crime because he transitively represents the state; therefore you insult the country.

Ataturk, father of the Turks, is this country. Turkiye is Ataturk.

But what J-date and I found so interesting about this (not just national) personal hero of mine is that there are confusing parallels between him and a deity.

J-date brought up a partıcularly interesting example of how a Turkish friend of his was told when she was young that she wasn't allowed to draw a picture of Atatürk. Why? Because it would never be good enough. And although that may not be the same reason a Muslim isn't allowed to recreate the image of Muhammad (Muzzies are against iconography for people might place the prophet before Allah) both of us couldn't help but get a little excited about the connection.

He is the creator.

Holy..

The other day I was on the bus and I think we nearly hit another car. Something of that sort happened where the bus made a hard, quick move that made everyone stumble a bit.

While everyone on the bus cried, "Allah!", I (as a reflex) called out, "Jesus!".

Heh.

Oof.

Istanbul: Great for raging. Horrible for hangovers.

A Spot of Bragging

This is my room for the next month. NBD.





.......jk



That’s the view from my window. I could gaze out that chair all day.




I think that desk chair is very pretty as well.

I never want to go back. Anywhere else seems like a joke after this.

Pergamon

Before I forget to mention...


I took a day trip to this ancient city. It was incredible.
I visited the ruins of the Acropolis, the Amphitheatre, the Red Hall (Serapeion), and the Asklepion.
awesomebawsomelawsomemawesome.
I think my favorite part was being at the amphitheatre which was crazy steep (approximately 70 degrees) and hearing the prayer echo from the city.

Bliss

I started my internship yesterday.

So far it's been nothing but amazing. My only complaint is that I dont have enough to do yet but I've only just begun.

Yesterday, I edited the English section for the manuscript of a new book they are working on.

Then I translated a bio about the Turkish artist, Ali Sami Boyar.

Those both were a bit difficult but I loved everything about it. It felt right.

And the people here are great. I am in the curators office with 3 other ladies. One just graduated college, one seems to be in her mid-twenties, and the boss is probably in her 30s. They are very warm and sweet. Then there is Erol who comes here from the restoration department to chill here to basically crack jokes.

It's great just being in this office with artifacts cluttering the room.

But perhaps the best part is their taste in music.

This morning I was finish up some translating I started yesterday and as I sat working with my tea, Tugce started playing Edith Piaf.
Cool.
After we had enough Piaf, Ayse turned on some Radıohead.
Awesome.
And after lunch/tea with everyone we get back to the office Tugce one ups Ayse with some Beirut.
Perfect.